Torpedo and mine deflector.



A. LANZETTA. TORPEDO AND MINE DEFLECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. l. 19]].

Patented May 28, 1918,

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[TED I; STATES PATEN onnron ANTHONY LANZETTA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOBIPEDO AND MINE DEFLECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 1, 1917. Serial No. 189,321.

To all whom it may concern.

Beit known that I, ANTHONY LANZE'ITA,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county of the Bronx, and

State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Torpedo and Mine Deflectors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to torpedo and mine deflectors as applied to the hulls of ships and marine vessels, and has as its principal object the provision of means adapted to deflect and divert torpedoes and mines directed against or about to strike the ship, in such manner as to prevent damage being done to it.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for enmeshing the-torpedo or mineas it strikes a deflector, with little or no danger of causing an explosion thereof, and.to" utilize the momentum of the torpedo in deflecting or diverting it from the ship. I

These and other similar objects are attained by the novel construction and combination of parts hereafter" described, and shown in the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this specification, and

in which Figure-lie a plan view of the conventional type of ship, partially'broken away, and indicating the application of the invention; v

Fig. 2' is a frag-mental vertical sectional view of the same drawn to an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view. of the net;

Fig. 5 plate.

Attached to the sides of the hull of the ship 10, are a plurality of vertically disposed slide-ways or guides 11, containing longitudinal, undercut recesses 12,in which operate rollers 14, engaged with the arms 15, 16, which extend horizontally outward from the hull of the ship, the arms being reinforced by braces 17 the rear ends of which are also provided with rollers movable. within the slideways. Each set of arms is a perspective view of a support nd b aces maybe strongly secured tog th y tress-braces 18, i a

Attached to the arms near the guides, are

cables 19, by means of which the arms and braces may be raised or lowered to any desired height relative to the deck of the ship, and adjusting the distance to which they may be submerged in the water.

Buoyant bodies 20, which may be conveniently cork, are attached to the arms 15, which aid in holding the deflectors in operative position.

Formed near the outer ends of the arms 16 are eyes 20 and 21, to the latter of which are secured spindles 22, upon which plates 82 are pivotally secured, while the eyes 21 serve to support shaft 18, carrying two eyes 42, 44, for the cables 24 of each of the deflector nets.

My deflector nets 25 are formed of steel wire, or other suitable material, of a sufficiently heavy gage to receive the impact of a torpedo, and are of a sufficiently coarse mesh to receive the nose of a torpedo between the wires of the mesh so as, where possible, to avoid imparting a firingimpulse to the explosive charge contained in thetorpedo head, as the latter strikes the net. Thesenets are disposed in a substantially vertical plane between the arms 15, 16, and extend lengthwise of the ship.

Plates 32 are used to extend the. net, and

are hingedly engaged 'at one end to the spindles 22, while engaged at their opposite ends are floats of cork 33, or the like,

by means of which they are partially supported.

The nets 25 are preferably arranged in pairs, between each pair of adjoining arms 16, one end of the net being attached to that end of the plate 82 which engages the spindle 22, then extending upwardly to a point near the arm 15, where it is bent backwardly and downwardly into arcuate form and is carried back to the other end of the ately formed, while the exterior Wal 35 is formed into a plurality of angular bends, the intersection of the angular elements being adapted to receive the impact of a torpedo;

Patented May 28,1918. 1

The, peculiar ,dispositon of the net material is such as either to Ward oh the point of a torpedo or cause the same to be entangled, thereby causingno'damage to the ship, and the action of the nets, which are hingedly secured at one end to a support, is such that when a torpedo strikes a net the net swings on its pivotal support and c carries the enmeshed torpedo with it, thereby diverting it from its course, and away from the ship.

lt will be obvious that the net used may be either single ply, or that several nets, one behind the other, may be employed to form each deflector.

Cables 2% serve to join and hold the two ends of the net together, said cables passing through a tube 40 around which the end d1 of thenet is Wound, then one end of the cable is passed through the eye :42 on the shaft 23,and up to a tube 43 held in the fold ofthe net at the extreme point of its height, and then back through the eye is on the shaft 23, and from thence back to the tube d0, the ends of the cable being joined.

Knots to are formed in each side of the cable so as to act as stops against the eyes 42 44. r

The'plates 32, and floats 83, are provided with guideWays d6 therethrough, through wliiclrtlie end of the net is passed, and the end 41 of the net and the tube 40 also act as a stop to prevent the end of the net from being drawn through the guideivays d6.

As a torpedo strikes the net the action or the" cable 24; is to pull the two ends of the net toward each other, and thereby serve to enmesh the torpedo, While at the same time the momentum of the torpedoycauses the latter to turn the not upon itspivot and deflect the torpedo.

Light cable's e7, passing through the tubes 43 maybe employed to fasten the upper ends of the nets to the arms 15, or any other suitable fastening means may be used so long as care, is used that said fastenings are so constructed 1 that they Will break or give away when a torpedo strikes the net.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A torpedo deflector comprisinga net pivotally supported at one of its lower ends, and supports therefor, said net being so arranged that when struck by a floating body it will be turned upon its axis. at its lower end and deflect said body.

2. A-torpedo deflect-or comprising a net piyotally supported at one of its ends, supports'therefor, and means operatively engaging the ends ofsaid net to drawsaid "ends'toward each other When actuated by striking a floating body.

3. A shi deiendin net havin an arcnate portion and an exterior. face presenting a series of alternating projections and inderr tations, means adapted to distend said net, means for extending said not from a ship, and means for raising and lowering said net.

4;. Ashipdefending net having an arcuate portion and an exterior face presenting a series of sharply defined angular edges, a plate adapted to engage and distend said net, meansd or supporting said not from a ship, and means for holding said net in operative position.

5. iii-torpedo deflector comprising apluraiity of meshed nets arrangedto-form a substantially continuous wali along the ship, said nets being pivotally supported at one of their ends, supports for said nets and means operatively-engaging the ends. of said nets to draw the ends thereof toward each other when forcibly struclr by a body.

6. A torpedo deflectorcomprising slide- Ways secured to the hull of a ship, arms:slid able therein, vertically disposed netszpivotally secured to said arms, and cables engaging the ends 'oivsa-id net and adapted to draw said ends toward eachaother when,

said net is forcibly struck by abody.

7. A torpedo deflectorcomprising slideways securedto the hull of a ship,jarins slidable therein, buoyant bodies engagingisaid arms, nets pivot-ally secured to, said arms,

and plates hingedly engaged at the ends of some of said arms and adapted to distend and partially support said nets.

8. A. torpedo deflector COIHPBJlSlngfillClE- Ways. secured to the hull of a ship, upper.- and lower arms slidable in said slideways,

floats carried by, said upper 1 arms, vertically disposed nets pivotally secured to saidlower' arms and normally secured tosaid upper arms, a cable connecting the, ends of'each,

net, 1 and hinged 'pla-tes supported by said lower arms and engaging said 'netsctofldisof said arms and adapted to distend and partially supportsaldl nets, and guideways formed inqsaid platesl and adaptedto re- Y ceive said nets.

. llpA torpedo deflector comprising slide-5 Ways secured to the hull of a ship, arms slidable therein, vertically disposed nets pivatally secured to 1 arms, 1 is-hits the ends of said net and adapted to draw two subscribing Witnesses, this 8th day of said ends toward each other when said net August, 1917.

is forcibl struck b a bod and means for limiting he movemzents of siaid cables with ANTHONY LANZETTA' 5 respect to said net. Witnesses:

In testimony whereof, I have signed my WM. E. RICHARDS, name to this specification in the presence of A. GARMAIZE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Wuhington, D. C. 

